Combined slate and ruler



(No Model.)

L. M. DYE R.

COMBINED SLATE AND RULER.

No. 382,413. Patented May8, 1888.

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WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

N. PETEns, Phuwumu mr. wmmn mn, n. c.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

lJNiTE D' STATES PATENT FFlCEO' LOUISE M. DYER, OF YAZOO CITY,MISSISSIPPI.

COMBINED SLATE AND RULER.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 382,413, dated May 8,1888.

Application filed August 8, i887. Serial No. 246,432.

Be it known that I, LOUISEM. DYER, of Yazoo City, in the county of Yazooand State of Mississippi, have invented a new and Improved CombinedSlate and Ruler, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates particularly to slates and rulers therefor, and hasfor its object to provide simple, inexpensive, and efficient devices ofthis character, which will allow pu pils to do their own rulingaccurately and quickly prior to writing or other exercises of likegeneral nature.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction andcombinations of parts of the slate and ruler, all as hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l'is a plan View of one side of the slate, and shows a rulerfitted in the frame to rule the slate lengthwise. Fig. 2is a plan viewof the reverse side of the slate, with a ruler arranged for ruling theslate transversely. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the slate, takenon the line 00 m, Fig. 1, and with the transverse ruler removed. Fig. 4is an end view of the slate and ruler shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is aview of a modified form of the ruler adapted for lining off slates orblack boards for writing or other exercises.

The slate-frame A consists of opposite side bars, a a, and opposite endbars, a a, which are joined together at the corners of the frame in anyapproved Way. At its inner edge the frame is grooved all around atb toreceive the slateproper, B, on which the rulingand writing are to bedone.

At one side of the slate B the end bars, a a, of the frame A are groovedat c c at the inner edge, and one side bar a of the frame is cut awayaboutlevel with the inner walls of the groove 0, to allow a flat ruler,O, to be slipped into said grooves next to one face or side of the slateand slid steadily in said grooves to different positions crosswise ofthe slate. The other side bar a of the frame is preferably grooved atits inner edge, as indicated at c, to receive one side edge of theruler; but said (No model.)

groove 0 may be dispensed with, if desired. At the other side of theslate B the two side bars, (6 a, of the frame A are grooved at d dattheir inner edges, and one ,end bar a of the frame is cut away aboutlevel with the inner walls of the grooves d, to allow a flat ruler, D,to be slipped into said grooves and slid therein lengthwise of theslate. The other end bar a of the frame is preferably grooved at itsinner edge, as indicated at d, to receive the inner edge of the ruler;but this groove d may be dispensed with,if desired. It will, however, benoticed that these grooves c d may, by friction of .their opposite wallson the opposite faces of the rulers G D, respectively, render materialassistance to the opposite grooves, c c and d d, in holding the rulersin the slateframe while the slates are being handled prior to or afterusing them by the pupils. The rulers G D are made in like manner, eachof them being provided with a series of narrow slots, E, through eitheror all of which the point of a pencil may be passed to rule off the faceor side of the slate B, over which the ruler lies, and at its outer partor next its outer edge each ruler is graduated into a scale of inchesand fractions thereof, as at F, and each ruler isor may be provided witha finger slot or notch, G, to allow it to be more conveniently drawnfrom the frame or allow it to be adjusted to different positions overthe face of the slate. The ruler-slots E may be made any desireddistances apart, as the char acter of the writing or other exercise ofthe pupil may require, and any desired number of the slots may be madein each ruler, depending on its preferred width. I show ten slots ineach ruler, thus allowing ten evenlyspaced straight lines to be drawnupon the face of the slate by any inexperienced pupil of ordinaryintelligence and without shifting the ruler.

Fig. 5 of thedrawingsillustrates howaruler, H, may be made with a seriesof narrow slots, E, to allow passage and guidance of a pencilpoint overa slate, blackboard, paper box, package, or other article to line it offto receive writing or marking of any kind, and this ruler H also has ascale, F, of inches and a slot, G, to facilitate adjustment and handling of the device.

i The slots E may be made of proper width to receive the ends of sticksof chalk when the ruler will be made in large size, and especially forruling oft blackboards for exercises thereon by the student, and therulers may be made of metal, rubber, wood, paper, or any other suitablematerial, as will readily be understood.

Having thus described my invention, WhatI claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A combined slate and ruler comprising a slate fitted in a frame whichis provided with longitudinally and transversely ranging grooves nextopposite faces, respectively, of the slate, and a ruler fitted in saidgrooves at each side of the slate, one ruler being arranged with aseries of pencil-guiding slots ranging lengthwise of the slate and theother ruler provided with a series of pencil-guiding slots rangingcrosswise of the slate, substantially as herein set forth.

2. A combined slate and ruler comprising a frame, A, provided with aslate, B, and having grooves c c d d at opposite bars and next oppositesides of the slate, and rulers 01), pro- 2 5 vided with pencil-guideslots E, and fitted in the grooves c d, respectively, substantially asdescribed, for the purposes set forth.

3. A combined slate and ruler comprising a frame, A, provided withaslate, B, and hav- 3o ing grooves c c c and dd 01 next opposite facesof the slate, and rulers G D, provided with pencil guide slots E, andadapted to said grooves, substantially as herein set forth.

4. Aslate provided with a frame'having 35' grooves formed in it atopposite faces of the slate proper, and said grooves opening at the sideof the frame at one side of the slate and at the end of the frame at theother side of the slate, substantially as described, for the 40 thepurposes set forth.

LOUISE M. DYEB. Witnesses:

FRANK G. DYER, J NO. BRUMFIELD.

